Sam Kills Two - Sam Kills Two (2009)

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Sam Kills Two are a band led by singer Fred Bjorkvall, although for many the key talking point will be the presence of producer, mixer and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Clark of Dodgy. That's right: Dodgy. They of 'Staying Out For The Summer' and 'In A Room' fame. You'll not be hearing much in the way of that band's breezy B-list Britpop here though, Sam Kills Two occupy a more melancholy, downbeat domain, characterised by a voice that oozes desolation, coming across like a Mark Kozelek/Jose Gonzales-alike on '20/20', which also manages to recall the recent (and for that matter not so recent) output of Andy Yorke from The Unbelievable Truth. Bringing some real weight to the band's chiefly acoustic sound, the harmonised vocals, splashy cymbals and tuned percussion of 'No. 6' bulk the mix up nicely. As time goes on, this eponymous debut slowly reveals itself as a real treat. It's very nicely constructed and despite the amount of restraint placed on the instrumental range, the skillfully handled production imbues the presentation of the songs with a freshness throughout. BOOMKAT